New Queen

[Beecharmer]

I had a problem with my bees being too aggressive, so the state bee inspector suggested that I requeen.  This is my first year of beekeeping, so I am learning a lot.  I had an experienced beekeeper help me capture the queen and I put a new one in the next day.    I think you are supposed to wait 10 days to go back into the hive, but I am dying to know if she has been released.  It has been 8 days.  Can I go into the hive today?

[bassman1977]

Yeah, get in there.  It shouldn't take that long.  Mine took 6 days.  I've heard them take as little as 5.

[thegolfpsycho]

If it's been 8 days, I think you can go in without worrying too much.  Check the cage, if empty, check for eggs.  If I found eggs, I would be satisfied that all was well and close them back up.

[Michael Bush]

It depends on what was making them hot.  Sometimes they are hot because of the queens pheromones (or lack thereof).  Sometimes it's genetic.  It will take three weeks for ANY of the bees with the new queen's genetics to emerge and another three weeks before they make it to field bees.  Basically six weeks from when you installed the queen for her genentics to come near replacing all the bees in the hive.

You often see an immedeate improvement, which would indicate that it's NOT genetics, but rather pheromones from the queen.